


Ce Faux Amour

by Countingcrows



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, College AU, EVERYONES ALIVE AU, Multi, fake dating au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-08
Updated: 2016-12-08
Packaged: 2018-09-07 07:33:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8789191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Countingcrows/pseuds/Countingcrows
Summary: Percy de Rolo was working hard to become a history professor, away from his overbearing family and the responsibilities they came with. Unfortunately, his years of peace were due to come to an end when his mother called him to inform him of a potential engagement to an old family friend. With the help of his best friends room mate, Percy and Vex travel to Whitestone to pull off a little white lie and convince his family to cancel his future engagement. With a family as large as his, things may not go as smoothly as they hope.





	

**Author's Note:**

> First critical role fic! There's a bit of time jumping, but I promise it will get smoother and more linear as chapters go on!

 

 _3 days before_.

  
The glittering and influential city of Emon was home to one of the top Ivy League schools in all of Exandria. The campus, which was usually filled with lush vibrant green grass and fully bloomed trees, was blanketed in a thin sheet of snow as winter finally graced the city. Students hurried along the cobblestone set grounds towards their classes or their dormitories, wrapped up in thick woollen scarves and hats to stave off the cold. A harsh wind had just set in, threatening to nip at and encompass any exposed skin it could attach itself to as the temperature rapidly began to drop.

  
Percival de Rolo, hailing from a city by the mountains, paid the cold no mind. He walked along the campus at leisure, only mildly inconvenienced at the snow collecting on his glasses. His fingers wound tightly against the frame of his cellphone, the metal quickly starting to chill in the exposed air. After the phone call he had just received, Percival couldn't find it within himself to care about a single thing at the moment. He was on a mission to find Keyleth, knowing that after he explained his situation to her she'd help him figure out a plan of action.

  
Percival liked plans. He enjoyed the simple knowledge of having a goal in life he was going to achieve, and the steps to getting there. He was a man who needed very little in life, and structure was part of that. He took pride in his order, and he knew without it he would be lost.

  
Unfortunately, Percival was almost convinced that today was going to be the day that every plan he had come up with to get his life in order, was about to be thrown out the window.

 

  
He arrived at the dormitory where Keyleth resided within a few moments. The familiar beige brick building greeted him like an old friend; a place that he had spent more of his time in than his own residence. He opened one of the heavy metal doors and turned up the right staircase quickly, his body leading him automatically. He passed posters announcing parties and club meetings tacked to walls on his way up. Once on the actual floor which housed Keyleth's room, there became more of a frequency of picture collages featuring all of the girls on the floor. Percival recognized most of them, but could barely recall conversations that lasted more than a few awkward sentences.

  
He walked all the way down to the third last door of the floor, turning the handle and opening the door without warning. If his brain wasn't threatening to melt down within moments, he probably would have knocked. He entered the small room, messier than he had ever seen it, with clothes scattered everywhere and books lying open on both beds. Keyleth turned around in her chair from the other side of the room, eyebrows raised in surprise.

  
“Percy? Everything alright?” Her eyebrows lowered from surprised to worried when she caught the panicked look in her best friends eyes. “Are you having another panic attack?”

  
“Maybe,” the response came automatically, almost robotic with the lack of emotion. “I think I'm out of my depth with this one.”

  
“What's going on?” Keyleth rose from her chair, the old and unoiled wheels groaning in protest. “Here, drink some water,” she handed him a plastic bottle, which he accepted gratefully.

  
“It's my mother,” he said after taking a sip, opening his mouth to finish the thought when the bathroom door opened.

  
“Oh, hello Percival,” Vex’ahlia Vessar stepped out, her trademark coy smile on her face. “You alright? You look like you've seen a ghost.”

  
“Maybe he's shocked because you refuse to wear clothes like a _normal_ person,” Keyleth frowned at her roommate, grabbing a random t-shirt and tossing it across the room at her.

  
“I am wearing clothes,” Vex’ahlia argued, gesturing down to her sports bra and shorts combo. “If I can wear this to the gym, I can wear this in front of Percival.”

  
Keyleth said nothing, but rolled her eyes.

  
Percival had been friends with Keyleth for two years. She was his most trusted confidant, and he adored her. They had met in the middle of the night during the first week of school when he had caught her drunkenly trying to plant some flowers on the campus grounds. He had cleaned her up and bought her some coffee, and they had spent the rest of the night talking like they had known each other their entire lives. They had been attached at the hip ever since.

  
Vex’ahlia, on the other hand, Percival was not quite as close with. He would see her every time he went over to their dorm to visit Keyleth, and he had built up a quick an easy rapport with her, but due to their similar personalities they both kept up walls around each other. He wasn't entirely sure if he could count her on his list of friends, but he knew they were past the line of acquaintanceship.

  
While Keyleth was awkward and bubbly, Vex’ahlia was charming and confident. Their initial conflicting personalities made it easy to understand why they were good roommates, but it was also those qualities that brought out other sides of each girl. Over the past two years, Keyleth had gained confidence in herself and on occasion her stubbornness drew similar to bullheadedness. Vex’ahlia had also learned how to show humility and let down some walls. It wasn’t often Percival saw that side of Vex’ahlia, but when she dared to show it, he appreciated the value of her trust in him.

  
“So,” Vex’ahlia said after slipping into the shirt. “Is anyone going to tell me what's going on?”

  
“I don't even know. Percy?” Keyleth wrapped an arm around him and pulled him down with her to perch on the edge of her bed.

  
“It's going to sound silly,” Percival glanced at them both sheepishly, rolling his phone around in one of his hands.

  
“It can't be that silly of it's bothering you this much,” Vex’ahlia said, crossing her arms over her chest and walking over to her bed and sitting across from them. “Tell us what's wrong, darling.”

  
“Well, about twenty minutes ago I received a call from my mother…” Percival trained his eyes on the worn orange carpet beneath his feet, choosing his words carefully as he explained the situation he was in and the potential detrimentality of it.

  
_2 days before_.

  
“Vex’ahlia, you can’t actually be _serious_ about this?” Vax’ildan Vessar lay stretched out across his sister's bed, an arm thrown over his eyes casually to block out the light as his sister flitted about her room.

  
“I'm _serious_ , Vax,” she replied, an annoyed tone creeping into her voice from the need to constantly validate her choice. “I want to help him.”

  
“You don't even know him!” Vax snorted.

  
“Yes I do! At least, somewhat,” Vex shrugged as she began furiously folding articles of clothing and throwing them haphazardly into a suitcase. “I suppose I should bring a few nice dresses, I hear his family is kind of uppity.”

  
“Uppity enough to pay you five hundred gold pieces?”

  
“Vax,” she snapped his name out, grabbing his arm off his face so he was forced to look at her. He squinted awkwardly due to the light and his inability to adjust quick enough. “You're my brother, and I love you, but you need to mind your business. I need money to pay for school, and how I choose to get it is up to me, so keep your judgey comments to yourself. Please?”

  
“Alright,” he pulled his arm away, and looked at his sister with a softened expression. “I just want you to be safe. And if you're _sure_ he won't take advantage--”

  
“ _Vax_!”

  
“Okay, okay, I'm shutting up now! God, it's not like I'm you're brother or anything.”

  
She shot him a warning look, which he ignored before throwing his arm back over his eyes. They stayed in silence for awhile longer while Vex’ahlia packed, the sound of soft music drifting from her laptop and the storm raging outside the only thing keeping it from being awkward. As much as he frustrated her, Vex’ahlia was grateful for her brother. He was the only person in the entire planet that she felt had her back, and she knew he knew she had his in return. They were thick as thieves, and hadn’t been apart since right after they left the womb.

  
Their closeness was what was going to make the next two weeks the hardest on her.

  
_1 day before_.

  
Percival liked plans. In the constant chaos that was his life, plans were the saving grace that guided him through it all. He wasn't entirely sure if the plan he had worked out for the next two weeks was going to crack and crumble under the overbearing pressure and unstoppable force that was his mother, but he prayed to anything listening that he was able to hold it together. Adding another person into the mix inevitably meant adding in twice as many variables that could lead to failure, but he had faith that someone as cunning as Vex’ahlia Vessar could help him pull off the biggest ruse of his entire life.

  
As with any plan, there was always a step one. Percival, with several suitcases in tow, was on his way to execute said first step. Snow was falling in thicker clumps these days, inevitably making it harder to drive as time went on. Each turn the cab driver took had to be slow and precise, and more than once the back of the car slid too close to a curb for Percival’s comfort.

  
He sat in contented silence, watching the sleeping city of Emon pass him by. At five o’clock in the morning during winter, it was still as pitch black as when night first fell only hours earlier. 24-hour gyms, hotels and convenience stores were the only signs of life this early. Commuters on their way to work were slowly coming onto the streets, one by one, and eventually the world didn't feel so lonely anymore.

  
As the car neared the airport, Percival watched a plane take off in the distance with fascinated curiosity. He hadn't flown in a plane since the past summer, when he was returning to Emon from his home. He loved the weightless feeling of flying. He loved watching the clouds come nearer and nearer until he was eventually among them. Flying gave him an elated sense of childish excitement and wonder. If he wasn't a man of science, Percival would have imagined planes to be a thing of pure magic.

  
When the cab pulled up to the curb in front of the airport, Percival paid the fare and collected his bags, walking into the building quickly before his anxiety overtook him. He knew a million things could go wrong; he knew he was relying on a gamble. He knew all of this and yet he still knew that a simple white lie could be the key to sealing his freedom.

  
“Percy, over here!” Relief washed over him as he spotted Keyleth waving excitedly at him from in front of a small cafe.

  
“Did you pack enough for a small army?” Vax’ildan Vessar smirked at Percival as he neared, crossing his arms over his chest. “I thought my sister packed an absurd amount, but maybe I was wrong.”

  
“Ah, well,” Percival glanced down at his plethora of suitcases after he stopped in front of the group. “These clothes were starting to get a bit small, and my younger siblings quite like to steal from me so I figured I would bring as much as I could in case they wanted it.”

  
“I'm quite excited to meet them,” Vex’ahlia smiled warmly, shoving her hands in her coat pockets nonchalantly. “You haven't mentioned them much.”

  
“Don't worry, they're heathens. You'll love them,” Percival managed a small grin.

  
“Do you guys have a plan yet?” Keyleth glanced between Percival and Vex anxiously.

  
“It's a rather long flight,” Percival shrugged, trying not to give away his anxious state. “We have an understanding but the fine tunings can help pass the time while we fly.”

  
“Hey, Percival, Stubby here hasn't flown since we were kids,” Vax’ildan wrapped an arm around his sister and pulled her in close, ignoring her squawk of surprise. “And the last time we flew, she threw up. Just watch out for her, okay?”

  
“I can handle myself!” Vex’ahlia snapped while she struggled to escape her brothers grasp.

  
“I'll do my best,” Percival said confidently, sharing a look and a small nod with Vax.

  
“Guess we should say goodbye then,” Keyleth said glumly, throwing her arms around Percival without warning. “Text me everyday to keep me updated. I'll miss you, Percy.”

  
“I'll miss you too,” he murmured quietly into her ear, wrapping his arms around her waist.

  
They all said their goodbyes, each person feeling more emotional than they expected as they walked away from each other. Vex’ahlia and Percival shared a small nod of encouragement, grabbing their luggage and heading off to do all the prepping they needed before their flight. The airport, even at such an early time in the morning, was swarming with people. It was hard not to get caught up in the crowds, and anxiety of being separated from each other kept Percival and Vex’ahlia sticking to each other like glue.

  
It took several hours of waiting, but eventually their flight was called. Free of their luggage, and a small bit of worry, Vex’ahlia and Percival walked towards their gate. They both knew that tomorrow was the start of a 14 day adventure that neither of them were entirely confident in attempting, but their faith in each other gave them the push they needed to step forward.

  
“Ready?” Vex’ahlia grinned up at him while they were in line to board.

  
“No,” Percival admitted with a corner of his mouth turned up. “Are you?”

  
“Nope,” Vex’ahlia laughed.

  
Several minutes later, they boarded the plane.

  
_Day 1_.

  
Whitestone wasn't a very large place. It was equipped with the essentials, but unlike Emon it didn't have a super mall or a university or more than one movie theatre. It had history and culture and also the best spaghetti Percival had ever eaten. It was also his home, which meant more to him than any amount of glamour that Emon doled out.

  
Unlike Emon, Whitestone didn't have an airport. It had one just outside the city, where it was farther away from the mountains and safer to land. It was also much smaller, which meant that Percival and Vex’ahlia had to switch from the fluffy cushioned and wide leg room of first class on Emon Airlines, to the rickety and much older, tinier plane that flew in and out of Whitestone.

  
When they were seated in first class, Vex’ahlia sat by the window with wide eyes and an excited grin on her face. She would point at cities she knew the names of, and placed her fingers against the glass when they flew in the clouds and imagined touching them. Vax’s warning was at the far back of Percival’s mind as he watched Vex’ahlia with amusement. When they switched planes, however, Vex’ahlia took one look at the claustrophobic seating area and immediately demanded a bucket. The engine of the plane was so obnoxiously loud, they were forced to wear the ridiculous bulky headsets just to be able to hear each other over the noise. The seatbelts were thin worn leather that Percival was sure had seen some nightmares, and in hindsight he wished he had asked for a bucket as well.

  
When the plane ride ended, the simple two hours felt like an eternity in hell. Vex’ahlia nearly ripped her seatbelt off, threw the bucket on the ground and hauled her ass out of the plane in record timing. Percival watched in awe as she jumped off the dinky plane and laid down on the ground.

  
“You alright?” He called, undoing his seatbelt and slowly following after her.

  
“Just peachy!” She stuck a thumb in the air for a moment before letting her arm flop back down to her side.

  
Two men in black suits stepped away from a pristine looking black SUV, nodding at Percival before stepping into the plane and grabbing their luggage. He left them to it, making his was over to Vex’ahlia. She was slowing her breathing down when he eventually caught up to her, her arm tossed over her eyes to block out the sun as she lay defeated on the ground.

  
“Our ride is here,” he said, trying to fight a smile off his face. “Are you going to join me or should I send another car to come back for you?”

  
“What a great impression _that_ will make,” she sighed, rolling onto her side and pushing herself up.

  
“Here,” Percival held out a hand. She took it with a nod and he pulled her up easily.

  
“Oh god,” she heaved out, clasping her free hand to her mouth.

  
“Sorry, Jesus, sorry I did that too fast. You okay?” He took a self preservatory step backwards, but held his hand out in a useless, albeit worried gesture.

  
“Fine,” she mumbled against her hand. “Can we just get away from this plane already?”

  
“Deal,” the smile returned to his face, and he gestured towards the car.

  
“That looks expensive,” Vex’ahlia sighed.

  
“I'm sure it is,” Percival shrugged.

  
“Please get me the bucket.”

 

  
Another couple of hours passed, but the ride was smooth and comfortable in such a luxurious vehicle. Vex didn't think she had ever sat in something so nice in her entire life, and wasn't sure she ever would again. The seats were a fine beige leather, and there was a flat screen tv, a gaming system and a mini bar all built in to the back of the SUV in which they were sitting. Vex didn't even want to think about how much money it must have cost to custom build something this fancy, the very idea of it made her painfully aware of how empty her own wallet was.

  
Whitestone, she learned, was stationed in the Alabaster Sierras, a gorgeous mountain range filled with vibrant trees and a multitude of wildlife. The ride up was filled with winding twists and curves, and Vex was pretty sure she saw the entirety of the city of Whitestone in the span of five minutes. Currently, it was covered in two feet of heavy snow but Percival assured it was quite pretty when the weather was generous enough to let her see it.

  
“Percival, those houses up there are gorgeous, do you live in one of them?” Vex pointed out her window at several three storey buildings with beautiful high fences and well kept lawns. They certainly looked expensive, and considering how flamboyant the SUV was, she wouldn't have been surprised if he had lived in one of those houses.

  
“Oh, no,” Percival watched the houses fly by with Vex, a thoughtful look on his face. “Those belong to members of the city council. I live a little ways out of town.”

  
“Well the scenery out here sure is beautiful, I don't blame your family for wanting to enjoy it,” Vex said offhandedly, keeping her eyes trained on what little bit of the road ahead she could see from her window.

  
“I suppose,” Percival said, watching her with amusement. “Our home was passed down through generations, however, so it's less about the scenery and more about...duty.”

  
In less than twenty minutes, they pulled up in front of a large wrought iron gate stationed in the middle of two walls made completely of white stone, in which the city had gained its name. The walls were covered in ivy, and very old willow trees drooped over top and into the bit of greenery that appeared in front of the road. The gate opened, and the car drove through slowly, pulling up an obscenely long gravel driveway that was sided by two vast, long yards covered completely in snow.

  
The ‘house’ in which Percival grew up in was not a house at all. It was, in the simplest terms Vex could even imagine, a castle. It was grand and imposing, made up completely of white stone with a gigantic front porch and held up another balcony with massive stone columns. The doors were between twelve or fourteen feet tall and made up of a heavy, dark solid wood. Vex took it all in with wide eyes, her brain not entirely processing what she was looking at.

  
“Welcome to my home, Vex’ahlia,” Percival turned his pleased gaze from her to the castle. “Castle Whitestone, where the Lords and Ladys’ of Whitestone have lived for hundreds of generations.”

  
“You're a bloody _Lord_?” Vex turned her incredulous look from the castle to Percival, who shrugged and nodded in return. “Dear god I think I'm in way in over my head.”

  
“It will all be fine, just stick to the plan,” Percival lowered his voice, glancing about anxiously. “I didn't tell you earlier because I didn't want to freak you out.”

  
“Well, consider me officially freaked out,” Vex turned back to the castle, slowly taking her first step out of the SUV when the driver opened the door for her.

  
Before she even had time to adjust, the ridiculously huge front doors of the castle opened and several people came running out. Vex was barely able to take a breath before four kids, ranging from anywhere between 16 and 19 if she could guess, were grabbing her and touching her hair and asking her a million questions. Their voices scrambled together, the words lost on her in her bewildered state, and she didn’t even have time to register her feet moving when they acted on their own and let them be ushered by the group of newcomers.

  
“ _Oliver! Whitney! Ludwig! Cassandra!_ ” Percival’s voice cut clear across the chatter, and the quickly moving herd stopped entirely in their tracks. Everyone turned to look at Percival, who wore an irritated look on his face, crossed his arms over his chest sternly. “I understand that Vex’ahlia is the shiny new toy, but we just got here after a very long journey. Let her go immediately so we can get our bearings straightened and catch our breath for one _bloody_ moment.”

  
The youngest of Percival's siblings, from what Vex’ahlia could gather at front glance, was a girl of about sixteen. She had long chestnut hair, and vivid blue eyes, both obvious family traits. A broad smile struck across her cheeks and she released her hold on Vex’ahlia’s hair, which she was assessing and muttering about being soft, and took off running at Percival. She leapt at him from several feet away, and with an ease and grace Vex was surprised to find he possessed, Percival caught his sister and swung her around.

  
“Percy I missed you _so_ much!” The girl wrapped her arms tightly around her brother, pure joy on her face.

  
“I missed you too,” Percival smiled warmly, stroking her hair affectionately before gently putting her down on the ground. “C’mon now, I have to introduce Vex’ahlia to everyone else.”

  
The three children attached to Vex all shared a dubious look, before turning pitied eyes on her. A moment earlier, Vex’s heart softened at the sight of Percival hugging his sister, and now a deep rooted fear settled in her stomach. As soon as she stepped out of that car, it was the start of the longest two weeks of Vex’s life.

  
“Good luck with mother,” the younger of two boys said quietly, glancing at the other girl.

  
“I've been praying for you,” the girl smiled confidently. “I hope that helps.”

  
“Nothing helps against the Dragon Lady,” the older boy muttered under his breath, before detaching himself from Vex and walking towards the entrance to the castle.

  
The other two children skipped off after him, and Percival joined Vex where she stood, his youngest sister attached to his hip. “They're just trying to scare you.”

  
“They succeeded,” Vex sighed out, staring at the looming ominous entrance doubtfully.

  
From somewhere in the castle, a voice as clear as day rang out, “MOTHER, PERCY IS HERE WITH HIS GIRLFRIEND!”

  
“It's now or never,” Percival gave Vex a small smile, offering his arm.

  
She took it. “Let’s do this.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed the first chapter ! Please review and let me know your thoughts !


End file.
